The Heiress of Durin
by secretloveforpeoples
Summary: This is my rewrite about Bellarina, daughter of Kili and Kalya and Heiress of the throne of Erebor.
1. Chapter 1

The Heiress of Durin

_Chapter One_

"She's so weird" Bellarina hid her face. Ever since she had started taking lessons at Balin's small school, everyone had rejected her. "She doesn't even look like a dwarf!" Another girl hissed. "And she has no mum." The last one said. That was it, Bellarina knew, she'd had it. She cleared her throat and left her desk calmly, walking quickly inside the school building. She was not eating lunch outside today, she knew that. "Look at her hair and eyes. They're so stupid and strange." One boy proclaimed, pointing at her. They did not know she could hear every word they had said. She stormed through the short hall, tears springing to her eyes. Bursting through the door, she startled Balin, and went to sit at her desk. She let the tears fall. "My my, lass," Balin said sympathetically, "What's got you in such a fuss?" he waddled over to her desk, sitting in the one next to her. "I don't belong here. I have no friends, and everyone hates me. I can't focus on my lessons with people hissing at me behind my back." She sniffled. "Alright lass. I'll talk to your father." Balin decided, "But just remember this. You are the final heir of Durin, a future queen, and one day they will all respond to you. They are just jealous of your beauty and skill." Bellarina dried her eyes and smiled up at him. The glow in the room made both of their hair look golden, but in truth it was white. Balin's was white with age, and Bellarina's was white with birth. "Can I please go home, Mister Balin? I finished my day's work." She asked, her eyes pleading. She handed him all of her homework and paperwork assigned for the day. "Alright, little one. I'm sorry that this happened, but I've told you before I believe private lessons are a better choice." He reminded her. Bellarina nodded, and with that began to make her way to the forge.

_Clang! Clang! Clang!_ The sound of metal against rock was deafening as she stepped into the stuffy forge. The other dwarves working there greeted her; she came here often. She searched the steam filled room for her father, and finally found him near the back, shaping a dwarfish dagger. She stood beside him, watching with care. "I thought you had school today!" Kili said, taking his eyes off his work for a brief moment. He began hitting it once again. "Balin let me go early." She stated, pausing, "I can't stay there anymore, Da. Even Balin knows what the other kids say about me." Kili looked at her sympathetically and nodded. "Very well. I heard Bofur was looking for you," he told her, "Go to his shop and see if he's there." Bellarina smiled and ran out of the forge, heading straight for the shop that she loved so dearly. "Mister Bofur!" she called, running into the dusty room. Bofur sat in his wooden rocking chair, carving into a piece of pine. "Ah, there you are lass! You think you could help me?" he questioned, gesturing to the pile of unpainted woodcarvings. Bellarina beamed and nodded, picking up her paintbrush and the paint palate. She sat on the floor near the drying rack, painting with precision and details that she had learned from Bofur. "How are your family members?" he asked, not looking up from his work. "I don't know about Great Uncle Thorin. I don't see him as much. Uncle Fili and da are still working their boots off in the forge." She told him, finishing one carving and starting on the other. "You know your da, when he was little, always helped me with my woodcarvings, as did your grandmother." He said with pride. Bellarina looked up and then back down. She loved hearing new things about her grandmother, who she never got to meet. She died of the plague before Bellarina had been born. Hours passed in comfortable silence. The glow of the setting sun at last hit the windows of the shop, alerting its residents that it was time to go home. "Thank you for the help!" Bofur called as she walked towards her home. "You're welcome!" she replied. She broke off in to a run, realizing she needed to get home faster then she intended. She burst through the door and ran into the kitchen. "Chicken and potatoes should be good enough." She concluded, and quickly went to work. Thorin, Fili, and Kili all worked in the forge, and when they got home they always had quite the appetite. She stuck two chickens into the oven, and quickly peeled twenty potatoes, chopping them into little squares. She moved in a rush, tossing the potatoes into the boiling water and keeping her eyes on the clock. They'd never asked her to cook dinner, but she felt it was her duty, seeing as they paid for her living and eating expenses. At last all was cooked, and she set the table just in time. Thorin, Fili, and Kili and came through the door noisily, roaring in laughter about this and that, making sure to wipe their mud-covered boots on the mat. "Rina!" Kili called, making sure she was home. "In here!" she replied, "Dinner's ready!" The boys thanked her for it, and began to eat in their crazy Dwarfish way. They all shared their stories for the day, one about how Bellarina spilled paint on Bofur's hat, and how Fili burnt his hand, and how Kili and Thorin did many more swords than their daily goal. Bellarina addressed his hand immediately. Being a gifted healer, she knew how to take care of the many cuts and burns that her family would bring home after a long day. "Master Balin talked to me today…" Kili began, seeing Bellarina's face darken, "It's not true, what any of them say. You are a princess-to-be and they need to learn some respect. So I'm going to talk to their parents after dinner." "What! No! That'll just make it worse!" Bellarina shouted, forgetting her manners. "No need to shout, little one." Thorin chastised, "I believe it is a good choice. Anyone who dares insult the heirs of Durin should know they've made a huge mistake." Bellarina let her head fall onto the table, hitting it repeatedly. There was no changing her father's mind. He was as stubborn as all the rest of them were. She lifted up her head, beginning to eat again. "You're doing the dishes when you get back." She hissed, finishing her dinner and picking up her plate. "Alright." He agreed, and everyone stood, taking their dishes to the kitchen.

Bellarina put on her white nightgown, looking out her window. It was open, with the summer breeze pulling at her hair and skirt. She walked to her bed, making sure to turn on her music box that lay on the bedside table. Next to it was a picture of her mother, Kalya. Kalya had been an elf, and how their parents met was a long story that she was not allowed to hear. The melody of the box filled her room, an old song that had been around for many years. Thorin used to sing it to her when she was a little girl, but now, being almost twenty-six, she was too old for such stories. "Far over, the misty mountains cold," he would sing, "To dungeons deep and caverns old." Bofur had helped Fili and Kili create a music box in the shape of the Lonely Mountain, with Smaug wrapping himself around it. It was beautifully made. Bellarina sighed, taking out her braids and letting her long hair fall. Her bed was rough against her skin; the wool blankets made her itchy. She once again pulled her only book from its drawer. Though she had gotten it twenty years ago, it had no scratches; she had taken the best care of it. As she opened it her father walked in, smiling at the familiar sight. "I see you're going to bed," he said, "Well I'm going to talk to the families now. Goodnight sweetheart." "You're doing to dishes remember!" she called after him, getting an eye roll as a response. Bellarina felt the soft pages of the book once again, calling back memories of when she had first received it. She and her father shared the same birthday, December 16th, and he had gotten it for her 6th birthday. She turned off the light, letting sleep take her troubled mind.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

Bellarina woke up, holding in her screams. Some dreams she had stained her memories, whether good or bad. This one had been a bad one.

"What time is it?" she asked herself, looking at her heirloom Dwarfish clock.

3:27 am. She raised an eyebrow. In the corner of her eye she could have sworn she saw a glimmer of gold; the bear must be back again. It came every full moon. She walked over to her window quietly, watching it's eyes fix upon her.

"_Follow me…" _it whispered, as usual, though she never followed.

She shook her head. She _knew_ she could never trust a talking bear.

"_We are the same, you and I," _it said, _"I know what you are." _

She raised an eyebrow. Could she trust this bear? She wasn't sure. Obviously if it wanted to eat her it would've left after 10 years. She looked behind her. Surely her father was asleep. Opening the window quietly, she hopped out, keeping a distance from the golden bear.

"Lead the way." She hissed in to the darkness.

She wasn't meaning to be hostile; she was just so damn tired! The bear led her to the glen, a place she had been to many times.

"Well," she said, eyes locked on the bear, "Out with it!"

The bear gave her a quick look, before turning around.

"What're you-" Bellarina began, only to be shocked at the answer.

The bear was gone, and replaced by a very tall man with long, golden hair.

"I am Beorn, brother of Oren." Said the man.

Oren was her grandfather, who had long been dead.

"You expect me to believe you?" she scoffed.

Beorn merely smirked at her. She knew he wasn't lying.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"Don't be upset with family!" he chastised, almost a chuckle, "I can help you with your abilities."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She lied.

"You can move the water, create fire, move earth, and create air. You have the gift of foresight. You can speak to animals. So can I." he said.

"You're lying." She whisper-shouted, beginning to walk away. He raised a wall of earth in front of her, using air to blow her back around.

"You cheated." She said tightly. She hated when someone bested her.

Beorn laughed. "My point is," he began, "Is that we are EXACTLY the same. Which means…"

"I turn into a giant yellow bear?" she asked, not believing his words.

"Well it's different for every person like us. Our shape we take matches our personality." He confided her.

"What are we? Why can we do what others can't?" she asked, fear in her voice.

"We are ithildin randir." He said, watching her face change.

"Now you're really lying. Ithildin Randir don't exist. They are myths, fables, old wives' tales." She replied with a frown.

"Think about it." He ordered, waiting for a reply.

She sat against the tree, not admitting he was right. There was much silence, and she didn't move, watching as the sun began to rise.

"Talk to me tomorrow night, okay? I have to go before my dad wakes up." She said, and in a blink she was gone.

"Super-speed is another part!" he called after her.

"I know!" she shouted back, already on her way home.

She leapt through the window quietly. Knowing she hadn't woken anyone, she got dressed and walked into the kitchen. She would always make her family breakfast and a lunch to take to the forge.

Kili walked in sleepily, heading straight for the mead.

"Ah ah ah." She tsked, taking the bottle from him and replacing it with coffee.

Kili groaned and gave her the evil eye, sipping on the coffee and eating his breakfast. Thorin and Fili came at the same time, irritated that she had hidden the mead.

"You're going to thank me. No fingers will be chopped off today!" she reminded them.

They all knew what she was referring to. One of the forge workers had died last year from gangrene after drunkenly chopping off three of his fingers.

"I guess you're right." Thorin mumbled, drinking his coffee.

Bellarina thought about how silly they all looked in their pajamas, especially Thorin, who usually just showed up wearing a tunic and his socks. Working in the forge kept them all fit, their muscles showing through the long-sleeved shirts they wore. Bellarina was slender, but her Dwarfish side gave her a slightly prominent bust, another thing the other girls teased her about. The other girls were all very thick, not at all fat, just thick and heavy, as most dwarves were. However she and Kili had been born with speed, making them very light on their feet and thinner than the average dwarf. That is, as if Bellarina was an average dwarf.

"Today is my last day at school, then I get private lessons." She reminded her father, getting a grunt in response.

They finished their meals quickly, and Bellarina did the dishes as they all got dressed. As usual they left together, splitting up at the forge as Bellarina continued down the longer road to Balin's little schoolhouse. Dirt began to fill her shoes, and she had to empty the red stuff out of them twice. She hoped this last day would go well, without any hurtful words.

She walked into the classroom, and everyone stood up. She looked around in awe. Where was Balin? They then bowed to her.

"I'm confused." She finally admitted, sitting down in her desk. There was a thundering of seats as they sat down too.

"You are the princess, miss. We didn't know… We never realized…" said one girl. The girl who said she was weird.

Bellarina was, of course, baffled. How many families had her father gone to? She groaned inside her head. Now she had gone from total outcast to celebrity.

The day passed with people doting on her, everyone sitting near her at lunch, and almost every girl begging her to stay at school. Her decision was unchangeable though. She could **NOT** stay at this school, not with this much attention.

Walking home, she noticed she had more than one shadow. One of the boys was following her, the only one who had she had never heard. He had never spoken in class. Bellarina got a bit frightened. She hoped he wouldn't follow her all the way home, but in fact he did, and when she got there she was surprised to see her father was already home, sorting through the mail.

"Have you seen this?" he asked, pointing to a pile of many flowers and chocolates all addressed to her.

"What in Durin's name?" she cried, reading all the to-and-from cards. She had at least one from every boy in her class.

Fili walked through the door, looking windswept.

"Better come see this." He said, gesturing to the window. There was a crowd of all seven boys in her class, all waiting for her to come outside.

"Oh my goodness," Bellarina gasped, "Are they all here for me?" Kili looked enraged. He stormed outside, sword in hand.

"All of you scoundrels stay away from my daughter you here me? Now SCAT!" he spat at them, flailing the sword in their direction, merely to frighten them. Bellarina giggled. The look on the boys' faces had been unforgettable. They all scattered in different directions, running down the road which they came.

"So," Thorin said at dinner, trying to act casual, "I heard you got pretty popular pretty fast…"

Bellarina groaned and put her head in her hands, and the same rage filled Kili's eyes.

"They don't want her," he hissed, "They just want her title. None of them would ever be a billionth of a percent worthy of her."

Her father had always been overprotective of her.

They sat in silence, finishing their dinner, and Bellarina prayed that she would not have to endure another day like the past few.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three _

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" Bellarina asked Beorn.

"Just think about changing… That's what I did. And then I just changed…" he replied.

The moonlight shone off the water of the river they were swimming in.

"Tell me again why we're in water?" she hissed. She was cold.

Beorn chuckled. "What if you're a fish?" he said, Bellarina cursing in Khuzdul.

Slowly but surely, Bellarina began to feel a change, and she wasn't all too excited about it.

"I have fur!" she hissed, and began to get out of the water.

"Wait!" he said, pulling her back, "You could be an otter."

Bellarina rolled her eyes and sat back in, hating every minute of it.

Her face began to get longer, her eyelashes extending forward rapidly.

Suddenly she was on all fours, with hooves.

"I'm. A. Deer!" She cried, "I wanted something cool!"

Beorn was just laughing, splashing in the water rapidly. Bellarina kicked him in the chest and ran out of the water, shaking the water off her coat. Had she gotten the hooves down already? She didn't know, she just ran in circles happily. Her white fur complemented her sea foam colored eyes, the ones that scared the other kids. She slipped on her hooves, toppling to the side.

"Shut up!" she hissed to Beorn, who was still laughing.

"How am I ever going to explain this to my father?" she cried, sitting down awkwardly, "Thorin and Fili know about my powers just as much as he does…"

"Just tell him. It shouldn't be hard." Said Beorn, now a man, taking out his pipe.

"Yes, of course it won't be hard. I just go up and say 'Hey Da, you know how I have creepy powers? Well I can turn into a deer now too!' Are you nuts?" she hissed.

"Well I'm sure he'll understand. You must tell him what you are, though, Miss Ithildin Randir." He retorted, smoking from his pipe.

"If we are what you say, then shouldn't we have stars that represent our hearts?" she asked, changing back to normal and sitting down near him.

"Oh yes. My star is a normal one; even I do not know which one it is. But yours, little one," he tapped her nose, "Is Earendil, the elves most sacred star."

"Don't ever touch my nose again." She said, a bit of edge in her voice.

Beorn laughed, as usual, waiting for her to continue the conversation.

"That's impossible. Earendil is such a bright and powerful star-" she began.

"You took the least bit of time for your first change that I've ever seen. And you have more of a spiritual connection. I really do not doubt it is your star." Beorn said, cutting her off.

Bellarina sighed, seeing the sky turn grey with the hint of dawn.

"I have to go now, wish me luck!" she said, and she was gone before he got a reply.

"I am so confused." Kili admitted, speaking for Fili and Thorin.

"I can shapeshift into a deer every night. Simple." Bellarina replied.

She had told them everything.

"So you're an ithildin randir…" Thorin said slowly, putting the pieces together, "Good for you!" he picked up his plate and went to the kitchen, putting it in the sink.

Fili hadn't said much; he was focused on his pot roast.

"Well that's fine with us, and if you need any help with anything just tell us." Kili said, doing the same with his plate.

"Um, Da, can I have some money to go get something from the market?" she asked, cheeks turning red.

"What do you need?" he called from the kitchen.

"I- errrr… ummm… I need stuff." She replied looking down.

"What kind of stuff?" he pestered her.

She knew she had to be very careful with her choice of words, and then remembered her father was the only one who knew elvish, like her.

"_In path ithil erha in pener nad to brago pen Orith" _she told him. "The full moon isn't the only thing that happens once a month."

Kili blushed, wishing he hadn't pestered her so.

"Oh. Um. Here." He said, handing her some money.

The only thing that Bellarina couldn't stand with living with her family is that they were all men. She had only one living female relative- Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien, who was her aunt. All the rest were male. She walked to the market smugly, getting her female products and walking back to her house. She hid them under her coat and ran into her room, hoping to be unseen. At last she went to bed, undisturbed by her family, and she knew that Kili had probably told them.

Bellarina put her head in her hands while in her bed. She hated it when he did that. Her life was always like this, she had to learn from her father all about the dragons and the spiders, and about how being a female she had different things she had to go through. Not a day went by where she wished her mother were still there, and while looking at her picture one last time, she turned off the light.

Bellarina opened an eye. Today was Saturday, the weekend, and she could do what she wanted today.

She hoisted herself out of bed, getting straight to work. She made breakfast and cleaned the house, as she did every Saturday morning.

She left a note for her family, running outside to the woods with her bow. She loved spending her days in the woods, shooting arrows at her old targets and sometimes swimming in the river.

She hadn't noticed she had followers. It was three of her classmates, all boys, and she ignored them, shooting the trees with perfect precision and grace.

"Hey Bellarina!" one called to her, sounding malicious.

She ignored him.

"C'mon Bellarina, archery is stupid! Let's go have some real fun. We were going to go get some cakes from Bombur's bakery!" said the same boy, grabbing her arm.

"Let go of me." She snapped at him, "How on earth did you get enough money for a cake?"

"Who said we were going to pay for it?" he replied, grinning. Bellarina's face darkened.

"No. I'll tell Thorin and then you'll be in big trouble." She hissed, turning back to her archery.

The boy snatched her bow right out of her hands, running to the river.

"Come with us, or I'll drop it in."

The swift waters would take the bow before she could get it for sure, and that bow belonged to her mother Kalya.

Bellarina felt a heat in her palms.

"Give it back." She hissed, her palms heating up and igniting into flames, "Or I will burn you."

The boy's eyes widened. He immediately returned it.

"C'mon guys let's go!" he ordered to his friends. As they ran off Bellarina sent a wave hurdling at them, drenching them from head to toe. She smiled, returning to her archery.

Kili appeared out of the woods an hour later.

"They gave us time off today." He said, answering the question she was going to ask.

"You're so much like your mother…" he told her, watching how she shot the bow with precision.

Bellarina smiled back at him happily. She did love her family dearly.

"I need to ask you something." Kili confided, sitting down near her.

"Sure, what is it?" Bellarina replied, hoping it wasn't a personal question.

"Your 30th birthday is coming up, and Thorin, Fili, and I have decided it's almost time to go home." Kili admitted.

"Home? You mean Erebor?" she questioned. She was not expecting this.

"Yes." He sucked in a sharp breath.

She grinned mischievously.

"I can't wait."


End file.
